Abstract

Introduction: The EU Tobacco Products Directive, notes that e-liquids should not contain ingredients that pose a risk to human health. However little is known of the use of different ingredients within e-liquids and how they may impact respiratory health.

Aims and objectives: This study aimed to identify ingredients within e-liquids known to impact respiratory health.

Methods: Within the Horizon2020, EUREST-PLUS study, 122 of the most commonly sold e-liquids in 9 European Countries (FR, PL, DE, NL, UK, ES, RO, GR) were analysed using GC-MS and LC-MS.

Results: All samples (100%) were found to contain at least one substance that has some level of danger/risk based on the “Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals” (GHS classification). Ingredients that may pose a respiratory threat were noted, including methyl cyclopentanolone (26.3% of samples) and a-ionone (8.7% of samples), both which based on GHS, “may cause allergy or asthma symptoms or breathing difficulties if inhaled”, with methyl cyclopentanolone also able to “cause respiratory irritation”. Other substances such as menthol (42.9% of samples), ethyl vanillin (16.5%) acetyl pyrazine (8.2%), and were also identified and are also classified as able to cause “respiratory irritation”.

Conclusions: A significant percentage of e-cigarette liquids across the EU were identified to contain substances known to be respiratory irritants. The impact of these substances, and their pyrolysis on consumer health is an area that warrants further research.

Funding: This work was supported by a grant from the European Commission (Horizon2020 HCO-6-2015; EUREST-PLUS: 681109; Vardavas).